Lepidozia hirta Steph.
Lepidozia hirta Steph., Sp. Hepat. 3: 599. 1909.
Type: New Zealand, without specific loc., Kirk (G!).
Lepidozia angelii Gottsche ex Steph., Sp. Hepat. 3: 596. 1909.
Type: New Zealand, without specific loc., (Angel) (G!).
Plants delicate, loosely procumbent, rather flexuous, soft and plumose, with weakly ventrally secund branches, pale green, the shoots medium, to 1.7 cm wide, including branches. Branching mostly of Frullania type, closely and regularly pinnate, primary branches becoming whip-like, flagelliform, microphyllous, and rooting in the substrate; secondary branches rarely present; branch half-leaf ± symmetric to slightly asymmetric, broadly ovate, shallowly 2-lobed, ± regularly spinose-dentate nearly to the base; first branch underleaf 4(5)-lobed, inserted on ventral to ventral-lateral side of branch and ± aligned with underleaves of branch. Ventral-intercalary branching occasional, stoloniform. Stems rather soft, flexuous. Leaves rigid, concave, with incurved lobes, imbricate and nearly or completely hiding stem in dorsal view, 0.4–0.5 mm long at longest point, 0.6–0.8 mm wide at widest point, patent, the insertion distinctly incubous and feebly recurved at dorsal end; leaves distinctly asymmetric, unequally 4-lobed, the leaves divided to ca. 0.4–0.65 (median sinus), the distance from dorsal sinus base to insertion greater than that from ventral sinus to insertion, the sinuses gradually becoming deeper ventrally. Lobes of differing shape, the dorsal pair of lobes acuminate, the ventral lobe attenuate, often spreading as a claw, the dorsal lobes not noticeably paired, the lobes entire or with a single prominent spine or with a few small, often opposing teeth, the dorsal lobes (5)9–11 cells wide at base, terminating in a uniseriate row of 2–3(6) cells (the ventral often somewhat longer); cells of uniseriate row ± isodiametric to somewhat longer than wide (2:1 or less), not noticeably longer than basal cells in lobe, thick-walled. Disc weakly asymmetric, 10–16 high at dorsal sinus, 5–8 cells high at ventral sinus; dorsal margin broadly curved to subampliate, the dorsal margin and the confluent margin of the dorsal lobe ± regularly spinose-dentate with 3–6 discrete, short, acuminate, often curved, multicellular spines (the margin often also with several few-celled teeth); ventral margin entire. Cells of disc-middle thick-walled, ± isodiametric to elongate, 12–18 µm wide × 18–25 µm long; median basal cells enlarged, in 1–2 rows, with trigones and irregularly thickened walls; surface striate-papillose. Oil-bodies at midleaf 2–4(5) per cell, moderately botryoidal, colorless, mostly spherical and appearing like blackberries, 3.5–4.5 µm in diam., occasionally citron-shaped with rounded-acute tips and 4–5 × 8–9 µm; basal cells with (3)5–7 oil-bodies per cell, moderately botryoidal but with spherules more strongly protruding beyond membrane. Underleaves spreading, symmetrically 4-fid to ca. 0.55–0.8 (median sinus), the lobes broadly incurved, somewhat divergent, narrowly attenuate, variable: entire to variously and irregularly dissected (with one to several lobuliform spines), the lobes terminating in a uniseriate row of 3–6 cells; disc 6–9 cells high at median sinus, disc margins on each side with a lobe-like spine, the underleaves then appearing 6-lobed.
Plants dioecious. Androecia not seen. Gynoecia on abbreviated ventral-intercalary branches issuing from main stem; bracts of innermost series deeply concave to canaliculate, ovate to suboblate; apices with 2–4 teeth or short, irregular lobes or unlobed, the lobes or bract summit crenate-denticulate; lamina margin bordered by thin-walled cells of variable shape and orientation, the apical or free end of marginal cells variously divergent and forming a short projection or tooth, the margin irregularly and at times sparingly crenate-denticulate to the base; bracteole similar in size and form. Perianth long and prominent, slenderly cylindrical-fusiform, slightly curved, terete below, obscurely trigonous above, distinctly 3-plicate toward mouth, the perianth gradually narrowing toward the distinctly contracted, obscurely ca. 6-lobulate mouth, the lobules composed of thick-walled cells that at the apical end are laterally free for varying lengths, the lobules thus irregularly crenate-denticulate.
Seta with 9 rows of outer cells surrounding an inner core of numerous much smaller cells. Capsule oblong, the wall 50–53 µm thick, of 4 layers; outer layer of cells with two-phase development, the longitudinal walls with sinuous, sheet-like thickenings and several low, broad nodules alternating with walls that are devoid of thickenings, the transverse walls usually devoid of thickenings or sporadically have 1–2 isolated nodules; innermost layer of cells ± tiered, narrowly to rather broadly rectangular, the longitudinal walls with nodular to spine-like thickenings, and, often, somewhat sinuous sheet-like thickenings, semiannular bands sporadic.
Spores 38.4–42 µm in diam., the wall yellow-brown, thin, with low, dense, close papillae and short, sometimes branched, vermiculate markings that sometimes coalesce but do not delimit areolae. Elaters rigid, nontortuous, 24–30 µm wide, only slightly tapering toward tips, bispiral, the spirals 9.6–10.8 µm wide.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: South Island (300–600 m), North Island (700–1065 m). Known from Canterbury (Torlesse Ra.), Western Nelson (Paparoa Ra.), Volcanic Plateau (Paeroa Ra., Taupo, Tongariro Natl. Park) and Gisborne (Urewera) EPs.
Occurring in a variety of niches. It is present, for example, at the edges of rills in the penalpine zone in areas with mostly snow tussock, but with some Dracophyllum longifolium, Celmisia and Empodisma minus. Also in a low Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides forest with steep, moist, peaty, mossy banks (Mangawhero River), as well as on very old logs in an upper-elevation forest (Paeroa Ra.). At Waipoua Forest the species occurs over rotted wood in a very wet Weinmannia silvicola – Syzygium maire forest. It is sometimes epiphytic on tree trunks (recorded from Nothofagus solandri, N. fusca, N. truncata and Elaeocarpus hookerianus). Accompanying species are Acrochila biserialis, Bazzania adnexa, B. nitida, Chandonanthus squarrosus, Cuspidatula monodon and Hypnum chrysogaster.
Comments : Lepidozia hirta differs from L. ulothrix in its smaller leaves and in its closely and regularly pinnate branching (Fig. 44: 8), the branches often becoming whip-like and rooting in the substrate. Typically, L. ulothrix is a more robust plant, with distant, abbreviated, somewhat curved branches, and is never epiphytic whereas L. hirta is sometimes an epiphyte.
For comments distinguishing this species from Lepidozia kirkii and L. ulothrix, see under those species.
